Bulgaria’s Ministry of Finance reported that Finance Minister Temenuzhka Petkova attended her first regular Eurogroup meeting as a full member following Bulgaria’s entry to the euro area and updated ministers on the country’s euro changeover. She said the transition since 1 January has been proceeding smoothly, with cash circulation ensured, payments uninterrupted, payment systems stable and adaptation by the administration, businesses and citizens occurring without significant difficulties. Petkova highlighted consumer protection as a current priority, noting that dual price display has applied since August 2025 and will run until August 2026, while dual circulation of the lev and the euro will last until the end of January. She said breaches of the Law on the Introduction of the Euro, including the ban on unjustified price increases, are sanctioned by the National Revenue Agency and the Consumer Protection Commission, with inspections prioritised and mainly driven by citizen signals; she also reported that more than EUR 4.3bn has been put into circulation and nearly 60% of the BGN cash balance has been withdrawn. The European Commission, the European Central Bank and the European Stability Mechanism presented additional information and congratulated Bulgaria on its logistical and technical preparations and communication campaign, while the Eurogroup also discussed euro area policy priorities based on a Commission draft and considered candidates for the post of Vice-President of the ECB.

Original source View in tracker